Matthew 13:22-23 New American Standard Bible 1995
22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the [a]world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Sower, Seeds, Soils
Jesus begins this Parable of the Sower with a farmer scattering seed.
The seed is good seed, the message of the kingdom of heaven.
The seed falls into many different soils: pathway soil, rocky soil, thorn-infested soil, and good soil.
Though Jesus carefully explains this parable to his disciples, we still wonder about many things.
What exactly does it look like when the seed, the message, falls on good soil and produces a crop, “yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”?
The reader, the listener, wants to know if they are the good soil, they are then working the other soils and so producing the bountiful harvest Jesus describes.
Throughout his ministry Jesus gives many clues on what a life that produces a significant harvest might look like, but we can also consider the mission Jesus claims in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”
Because we are called to be like Jesus, his mission is our mission and the Holy Spirit has been given to us, so we are called to go out to work and do the same.
Tilling the Soil of the Heart
Today, we’ll look at a vital spiritual practice to all those seeking to grow in God: tilling the soil of the heart.
Jesus spoke in Matthew 13 of two different types of soil—hard and soft.
God longs for us to till the soil of our hearts that we might be receptive to the seed of his Word and bear fruit.
Today, may our heart become more responsive to the presence, will, and love of God as we learn a bit more cultivating good soil with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 13:22-23 Amplified Bible
22 And the one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the worries and distractions of the world and the deceitfulness [the superficial pleasures and delight] of riches choke the word, and it yields no fruit. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands and grasps it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundred times [as much as was sown], some sixty [times as much], and some thirty.”
The concept of good and bad soil is something Jesus’s listeners would have easily understood well.
Planting in good or bad soil meant having food or going hungry. It meant having money or not. For their agrarian culture it was a matter of survival.
While Jesus’s parable might not have as direct a correlation to us, its principle remains just as relevant.
We all have spiritual soil.
Through our mindsets and postures of the heart we can receive the seed of God’s Word which will in turn yield life-giving fruit.
Or, we can allow the soil of our hearts to become hardened by the messages of the sinful world to make us unreceptive to the powerful work God in our lives.
It’s incredibly important for us to understand God never forces his desires on us, but that He waits patiently—beckoning us to open our hearts fully to him.
He gently shows us his love, whispers his perfect plans to us, and waits for us to trust and surrender and with the grace of God, we can till the soil of our hearts, living receptively and surrendered to his loving kindness and perfect will.
If we will work, if we will look inward and acknowledge before God a hardened heart, to cultivate a willing heart, God will mold and shape us into children free from the cares of the world and empowered to live Christ-like, fruitful lives.
The question though always remains: Take time today to assess our own lives?
What parts of your heart are hard to God?
Where do you feel unreceptive to his goodness?
Where do you need to say yes to God today in a fresh, transformative way?
The season of Lent is just around the corner, God is calling you to a lifestyle of trust and surrender that He might lead you to green pastures and still waters.
There is abundant life for you in store in these days as you cultivate good soil.
“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!” May the Holy Spirit help you look honestly at the true postures of your heart today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Take some time to receive God’s presence.
Open your heart to feel the peace and rest that comes from encountering him.
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ways in which you aren’t fully open to God.
How are you not fully saying yes to God?
In what ways are we living our life apart from the leadership, presence of God?
Where don’t you fully trust him?
Where aren’t you bearing the fruit of the Spirit?
“But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
3. Confess those things to God.
Receive His love and forgiveness as you repent and turn away from hardness of heart and spend time resting in God’s presence and experiencing the new found peace that comes from having your heart more surrendered, receptive to God.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Tilling our hearts into good soil is an important daily exercise.
The more often you do it, the more you’ll realize the need to have good soil.
Having our hearts fully open to God takes the mundane and makes it wonderful.
It takes sunsets, conversations, prayers, work, and church and fills them with life, value, beauty, and joy.
Take what you’ve learned today and continue to put it into practice.
Choose to live a life positioned to receive all that God has in store for you.
May your day and your days ahead be marked by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, thank you for your Word! Thank you for your Spirit! I pray that my life will produce an abundant harvest for you, and that I may serve in your name. Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 